Direction-indicating signal for vehicles



2 Sheets-Sheet 1 J. E. B'URNHAM ET AL DIRECTION INDICATING SIGNAL FOR VEHICLES Filed Aug. 6, 1923 Nov. 24 1925.

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Patented Nov. 24, 1925.

lUtNIT-E'D STiMIrETS 1,562,740 PATENT orifice.

JAMES IBURNI'IAM AND 'EDWIN ALLEN JONES, OF POMONA, CALIFORNIA.

DIRECTION-INDICATI'NG SIG-NAL FGR'VEHIC'LES.

vApplication ledfiugust 6, 1923. Serial-No. 656,050.

To @ZZ whom t may .concer/n.'

Be itlrnown that we,JAMns E. BURNHAM and EDWIN ALLEN lJon-ns, citizens lof. the United States, residing at Pomona, in .the countyof Los Angelesand State of California, have invented a new and/useful Direction-Indicating Signal for Vehicles, of which the following is a specification.

This inventionv relates to motor lvehicle signals and more particularly to `direction indicators.

The main object of .the invention is to provide a direction' indicator for vehicles to indicate to pedestrians and drivers of-other vehicles` the direction in which the machine is going to turn.

Anotherobject is to provide a signal of this character which will be visible by day and by night from both front and rear and not subject to weather conditions.

vAnother object is to so construct suoli a device that it will indicate simultaneouslyto both the eye and the ear that the vehicle giving the signal intends to change its course.

With the foregoing and other objects in view `which will appear` as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination andl arrangement of parts and in the details of A construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being, understood that changes in the preciseembodiment of the invention herein disclosed,may-be made within Vthe scope of .what is claimed without departing from the spirit ofthe invention.

In the accompanying drawings Y Figure 1 representsa llongitudinal vertical section through the casing in which the signal operating means are located, said means beingv shown inside; elevation.

Fig. 2 is a section takenon the line 2-f2 of F ig. 1. i

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section takenon the line 3-3 of Fig. 1;-and

Fig. 4 is a diagram showing. the electric circuits for the signal.

In tlieembodiment illustratedV a casing 1 is shown composed of any suitablennaterial preferably sheet metal-Land which `is designed to be secured by clips 2A to one of the side `rods 3 of lthe wind shield of an automobile in which position it is conveniently located for use by the'driver.

A movable signaling arm 5 isvv pivotally mounted in the casing 1 and designed to operate throughan opening 4 in the side ployed and over whiclrare arranged transparent coverings as 7 on both sides so that the light may be visible from inf front and rear. These coverings may be colored any suitable color red beingv preferably usedalthough obviouslythis is not necessary. In

lthe formhere shown three, ofgthese lights are illustrated. (See dotted .lines of Fig. l.) The arm 5 is of a length suilicient, to permit it when swungdownward to. its eX- treme lower position to project at itsffree end beyond the lower end ofthe casing so that the light carried by this end will be visible, and operate as a't'elltalefto indicate whether or not the tail lightis burning, the circuit of the bulbs 6 being connected with that of the tail light.

VThe, arm 5 is .provided at its inner end with a reduced. neck or stem having a laterally extending linger' 9 at its free end which is pivotally connected with alaterally extending arm 11 of a .sliding rod 10 hereinafter to be described. `A The neck 8 of the arm, 5 isV mounted between Alinksas l2 :supported by the casing l andpivotally connected with said neck S whichpermits the arm 5 to swing thereon as a fulcrum, said yarm being, actuated by vthe sliding rod 10 `which is controlled by-a lever 2O operated by the driver.

The rod 10 is mounted to reciprocate `in suitable bearings 13 supported in the casingl, one ofwhich also supports one end of .an arcuate rack 14 ,the other end heilig riveted or, otherwise secured to the casing 1 as 1s shown clearly 1n Fig. 1. This rack 14; is provided on its inner edge with a `plurality of notches. y15, 16, 17 and 18 with which are ydesigned to cooperate a spring pressed pawl 19 carried by the lever 20 and which when engagedwith one ofthe notches holds the ,lever in adjusted position and also the rod 10v with which it is connected by means of a ptman `21 pivoted at one end to the leverand at its other end with acollar 22 iixedlysecured on the rod 10 so that the shifting of the lever will operate to reciprocate the rod and swing the arm 5 into the desired position. When the pawl 19 of lever 20 is engaged with notch, 15 the rod 10 will be moved upwardly a sufficient Lit) distance to swing the arm 5 downward into the dotted line position shown in Fig. 1 with the light 6 located below the casing and when this arm is in this position it will be out of use and may be termed as neutral. l/Vhen the lever is swung to bring the pawl into engagement with the notch 16 the rod will be moved downwardly a sufficientdistance into oblique position shown at a in Fig. 1, and the position of the arm is intended to indicate that the vehicle carrying it is to slow down or stop. The movement of lever to bring the pawl 19 into engagement with notch. 17 lowers rod 10 suiciently to swing the arm 5 laterally out at right angles as shown in full lines in Fig. 1 and which position indicates that the vehicle is going to turn to the left.

The movement of lever 2O tobring the pawl 19 into engagement with the lowermost notch 18 will operate to swing the arm 5 upward at an oblique angle as sho-wn in dotted lines in Fig. 1 and marked b. This position of the arm indicates that the i vehicle is going to turn to the right.

The lever 2O extends through an opening in the inner wall of the casing 1 and has a laterally extending arm 23 at its inner end which is ulcrumed at its terminal on a bracket 24 carried by the wall of the casing. This lever 2O is bifurcated at its inner end to straddle the rod 10 and the outer portion thereof is made hollow for the mounting therein of a plunger 25 designed to engage the pawl 19 which projects through registering openings 29 in the plunger 25 and a similar opening in the lever, not show. This plunger 25 extends out through the outer end of lever 20* and is equipped with a button 25a mounted to reciprocate in a. knob 27 on the end of lever 20 to facilitate the operation of the plunger by the driver, the knob 27 acting as a handle for the lever. A coiled spring 28 exerts its tension to normally project the plunger 25 and pawl 19. As shown the spring 28 engages the plunger 25 which has a. slot 29 in which is located the pawl 19 so that the reciprocation of the plunger will operate to project or retract the pawl.

From the above description it will be obvious that when the driver desires to change the course of his vehicle he will first depress button 25a to disengage the pawl 19 from the notch of rack 14: in which it is located. Knob 27 is then grasped and the lever 2O is swung until the pawl engages the notch corresponding to the signal to be given. After the vehicle has 4changed its course the lever is disengaged from the notch and swung upwardly until the pawl 19 enters the notch 15 and positions the signal arm 5 in lowered neutral position.

The collar 22 which is ixed to the rod 1u carries a contact 30 which is insulated therefrom and connected with a suitable source of electricity shown in Fig. 4 in the form of a battery B. This contact 30 is designed to pass cooperating contacts 31, 32 and 33 located in the circuit of the sound horn L10 and which are so positioned that when the pawl 19 enters notches 16, 17 or 18 the contact 30 will engage one of the contacts 31, 32 or 33, close the electric circuit and sound the horn. It will thus be seen that this arrangement provides' or the simultaneous sounding of the horn with the actuation of the signal arm so that both pedestrians and drivers will be notified both by sight and hearing that the car carrying the signal intends to make a change in its course.

A switch 36 is arranged in the circuit having the contacts 31, 32 and 33 so that when desired they may be cut out and the signal arm operated without sounding the horn. Another switch 34 is located convenient to the drivers seat Jfor cutting olf current from the signal arm and from the tail light which is in the same circuit. The tail light being arranged in the circuit with the bulbs 6 enables the bulb at the free end of the arm 5 to be used as a telltale when the arm is in neutral position to show whether or not the tail light is lit.

The switch 35 is provided for sounding the horn when it is desired to use it without the lights.

From the above description it will be obvious that the casing 1 carrying the signaling apparatus may be easily applied to the wind shield frame 3 without marring the car in any way, said casing being comparatively small will not mar the appearance of the car all of the actuating parts being concealed except the outer end of the lever 2O and the arm 5.

Various changes in the form, shape, proportion and other minor details of construction may be made without departing from theprinciple or sacrilicing any of the advantages of the claimed invention.

le claim 1. A device of the class described comprising a supporting structure, a signal arm mounted to swing thereon, an L-shaped member slidably mounted on said structure and pivotally connected by its short arm with said arm, a lever ulorumed on said structure and connected to actuate said sliding member, a pawl carried by the lever and a rack by the structure for locking the lever in adjusted positions whereby the arm is held at the desired angle.

2. In a device of the class described, a supporting structure, a signal arm mounted to swing in said structure, a rod slidably mounted in said structure in a plane at right angles to said arm and having a laterally extending arm pivoted to said signal arm whereby the sliding of the rod will swing said arm, a lever ulcruxned in said structure, a link connecting said lever and rod at a point remote from the iulcruin of the lever whereby the swinging of the lever will slide the rod and actuate the signal arm, and means for locking the lever in adjusted positions.

3. In a device of the class described, a

supporting structure, a signal arm mountedl to swing in said structure and having a laterally extending linger, a rod slidably mounted in said structure and having a laterally extending arm pivoted to said iinger whereby the sliding of the rod will swing said arm, a lever tulcrnined in said structure, a link connecting said lever and rod vat a point remote from the fulcrum of the lever whereby the swinging ol the lever will slide the rod and actuate the signal arm, means for locking the lever in adjusted positions, and means carried by said lever under the control of the driver for releasing said locking means.

l. In a device of the class described a supporting structure, a signal arm mounted to swing therein, an L-shaped sliding bar having its short arm pivoted to said arm, a lever fulcruined on said structure and connected to actuate said sliding bar on the swinging of the lever, a rack mounted on said structure and having spaced notches,

and a spring projected pawl carried by said lever to engage said notches and lock the lever in adjusted positions.

5. In a device ol' the class described a supporting' structure, a signal arm mounted to swing therein, a sliding member connected to swing said arm, a lever fulcrumed on said structure and connected to actuate said sliding member on the swinging of the lever, a rack mounted on said structure and having spaced notches, a spring projected pawl carried by said lever to engage said notches and lock the lever in adjusted positions, and a plunger' carried by the lever for releasing said pawl from said rack.

6. The combination of a signal arm fulcrumed near one end and having a laterally extending finger at its terminal, a sliding actuator pivoted to said linger, a lever ful" crumed to a support, a pitman connecting said lever and said sliding actuator, a spring pressed pawl for locking the lever in adjusted position, and a plunger carried by said lever and connected to release said pawl when desired.

In testimony that we claim the foregoing as our own, we have hereto alliXed our signatures.

, JAMES E. BURNHAM.

EDWIN ALLEN JONES. 

